the residual Bride's Well, now
Bride's Well isn't where the stone is, and it was never a particularly significant well in recent times, after the monks of Glastonbury Abbey diverted the River Brue. The Ordnance Survey never listed it. However, from the topology of the land and where the stone originally stood you can see a faint depression. After a fairly wet start to 2023 I looked where the stone used to be, and water does collect there.
The erstwhile location of Bride's Well, April 2023 |
This was the most likely original position of the commemorative stone before it got co-opted by Wellesley Tudor Pole to indicate the place where the Blue Bowl was found in the early years of the 20th century. It was moved a little bit again when the Brue embankments were raised mid-20th century.
in the distance you can see the slight raise in the ground that John Goodchild fancifully termed the salmon at Beckery, it extended further than he showed it and may have been the best fording point for pilgrims coming to Beckery on their way to Glastonbury Abbey.
John Goodchild's sketch map of the head of the Becker Salmon and the location of the Blue Bowl near the thorn. |
Comments